Snowflake Sun
by MantaI-305Apollo'sChariot
Summary: Two years after the accident, ten-year-old Elsa is sent to live in Corona with her aunt and uncle, who already know about her ice magic from meeting her as a toddler. Although Elsa is scared at first, she quickly learns to control her magic, meets new friends (and enemies), and might even help find her long-missing cousin.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thank you for clicking on my story! Obviously I do not own Frozen or Tangled.:)**

 **I do, however, own my OCs (which don't show up right away, but still). :)**

 **This story is an alternate timeline to my other Frozen stories (ie., Secret Passages, Mind Games, etc). Up until Elsa is 10, EVERYTHING IS THE SAME. So, anything from "I Wish I Didn't Exist", where Elsa is 10 (so right before this story starts), on back through "Christmas Trees & Paper Snowflakes" and "Arendelle Eventyr" still happened in this timeline.**

 **You do NOT have to read any of those to read this, though.:)**

 **If you've read my other stories, you might recognize a few OCs and vaguely similar plot points eventually, but everything will be very different since Elsa lives in Corona here. Keep in mind this means Elsa will now grow up with people that don't mind her magic and are actively helping her learn to control it. This also means that Elsa won't be the frightened, depressed girl from the other movie-canon-satisfying timeline...well, at least not for very long.:) She might even be angry once she realizes what was happening to her at home in Arendelle was not fair. (don't worry, I'm not going with a spoiled, villain Elsa, she's still going to be the Elsa we all know and love:P)**

 **All of our main Frozen gang will show up eventually, as will Flynn/Eugene and Rapunzel.:) No promises other than that!**

 **Also, ETA...this story idea is from Elsa Tomago, so thank you for the idea!^_^ :)**

 **On to the story!**

"Papa, please don't send me away," ten-year-old Elsa begged. "I'll try to be good, I promise."

"It isn't the end of the world, Elsa. Your mother and I have decided this will be best for everyone. Your aunt and uncle are looking forward to having you in Corona. They still miss their own daughter who's been missing for years. She would be the same age as you are now," Agdar told her.

"But…" Elsa's blue eyes filled with tears. She might not have gotten to see Anna for two years, but she loved hearing Anna's voice, even if Anna yelled at her through the door sometimes, not understanding why she couldn't come out. Anna would forget all about her. _Maybe that would be for the best anyways. I might hurt her._ And what if Uncle Thomas and Aunt Primrose ended up not wanting her anymore either? Then what?

"I don't want to hear any more about it. Gerda will come help you pack your things, Elsa. You'll be leaving tomorrow."

"Can…may Gerda come with me?" the little girl asked shyly. Gerda cared about her, didn't she?

Agdar hesitated. "You may ask her," he said finally. "It will be her decision."

Elsa nodded, her gloved hands clasped behind her back. That was better than nothing.

* * *

The next day, Elsa hesitantly stepped outside her room, her eyes on the carpet. While she was grateful that Gerda had immediately agreed to come with her, she couldn't help feeling unwanted all the same. She had never lived anywhere but the castle in her life, and now she was moving to a whole other country because her parents didn't want her. Her daddy had said it was just for everyone's best interest, but deep inside Elsa was sure he just didn't want to bother with her any longer. _He just loves Anna. Not me. Why would he? I hurt Anna_!

"Princess Elsa, your sister told me to give you these," Gerda said gently. Privately she thought Elsa would probably be better off away from her parents, but she would wait until she and Elsa were on the ship to try to talk to Elsa.

Elsa's pained blue eyes filled with tears when she saw the doll in her green dress. It looked like Anna. It was the same dolly Elsa herself had asked Gerda to make for Anna as a Christmas present before the accident. A note in sloppy printing was pinned to the doll's dress. _'I love you Elsa pleez don't forget me. Love Anna.'_ Elsa darted back into her room-wait, it wasn't her room anymore, was it?-and she plopped down on the floor in the corner curled up in a ball clutching her little sister's present. _Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel._

Gerda set down the bags she was holding and gently but firmly pulled the little girl to her feet before she could protest. "Princess, we must go. You will be fine. You can write Princess Anna a letter every day if you want to."

Elsa flinched at the touch and pulled away, not wanting to hurt Gerda. Usually Gerda never touched her. She found herself wondering if she was even still a princess anymore as she followed Gerda downstairs, clutching Anna's gift to her chest. Little Elsa didn't voice this question though, half scared of the answer and half thinking it was a stupid question. Despite the dreary drizzle outside, Elsa lifted her face to the sky, enjoying the raindrops falling on her. They did not freeze on contact with her skin, much to her surprise. _I haven't been outside in so long. Maybe Uncle Thomas and Aunt Primrose will let me outside when no one's around,_ she let herself hope. Except…that wouldn't happen. She just knew it. The little girl sighed and followed Gerda toward the gate, feeling like each step took her further and further away from the only home she knew.

* * *

Once the ship had left the fjord and gotten underway, Gerda decided to approach Elsa, who had just been lying curled up on her bunk clutching the Anna doll to her chest. There were tiny snowflakes floating around her, but the little girl didn't seem to notice. "Princess Elsa, do you want to talk?" Gerda asked.

A tiny head shake.

"Something to eat, perhaps?"

Elsa shook her head again but said nothing. _I want to go home_.

"Can I get you anything, princess?"

Elsa felt the mattress sag as Gerda sat down near her, and she curled up in a smaller ball, scooting as far away from Gerda as she could. Gerda could not fix her so her parents would want her. And she missed Anna. Now she wouldn't even get to hear Anna's voice anymore. She scrunched her eyes shut against the tears threatening to leak out. If she cried, she would lose control again. She just knew it.

But Gerda had a plan, one she had come up with the day after she had first heard that Elsa was going to be sent to Corona. If Elsa hadn't asked her to come, she would have asked to be allowed to do so as well. If Elsa's parents were going to send her away, they were also not going to be there to get her or Elsa in trouble, either. And they could not stop her from trying to help little Elsa in ways she was not allowed to in the castle. She opened her trunk and pulled out a thick, soft quilt. Then she pulled the heavy gloves she had brought onto her own hands and went back over to Elsa with the quilt draped over her arm. "I'm going to put this around you, princess," she told Elsa.

Elsa felt something heavy and soft draped around her and realized the weight actually made her feel a bit better. Although she could not feel heat, the thick quilt felt nice to her. She yelped in surprise and fear when she felt Gerda picking her up, and she tried to wiggle away, but Gerda held her firmly. "Gerda, please put me down!" Elsa begged desperately. "I don't wanna hurt you!" She felt tears burning her eyes again, and she tried to stop crying, but the tears wouldn't stop. _Conceal, don't feel. Why won't Gerda listen to me? She always does!_ Maybe she had no authority at all anymore and she was just a commoner little girl. Was that why Gerda wouldn't listen to her?

Gerda felt frost crackling inside the quilt around the little girl, and the temperature in their cabin began dropping, but she clutched the struggling child close all the same. "Princess, quit your wiggling. I'm trying to prove a point. You are not going to hurt me. That's why I put the quilt on you."

Elsa stopped struggling, her expression incredulous. She realized that Gerda was right. With her gloves on and the thick quilt around her, she probably _couldn't_ hurt Gerda. _Gerda's wearing gloves too,_ Elsa noticed in surprise. The little girl jerked her hands away and folded them close against her chest when Gerda tried to touch them all the same, but she didn't try to get away from Gerda again. Elsa didn't want to admit it even to herself, but she really, _really_ wanted Gerda to hold her. It made her feel less lonely.

"There you go, Princess Elsa," Gerda said gently. She could tell that Elsa was still tense, but at least she wasn't struggling to get away or begging to be put down anymore. To Gerda's surprise, little Elsa seemed to be pressing herself closer, like she wanted to be held. _Of course she does. Elsa is still nothing but a child inside, even if she tries to act grownup and emotionless…which she can't do._ Gerda pulled the quilt over the princess's head so just her pale face was peeking out; then nudged her head gently until the girl rested her head against Gerda's shoulder. She didn't say anything else aloud, knowing Elsa wasn't much of a talker. _She just needs someone to care about and accept her, that's all. I can give that to her._

"Why are you trying to help m-me?" Elsa's shaky voice broke the silence several minutes later. She was grateful for Gerda's arms around her-it had been _so long_ since she had let someone hold her-but she didn't understand why Gerda would want to help her, either. "I was bad. I hurt Anna."

Gerda was actually starting to feel hot despite the cold bundle in her arms, but she didn't take off her own gloves or put her Elsa-in-the-quilt bundle down. If this was what it took for Elsa to let someone hold her, then that was what Gerda was going to do. She wished she had tried this before, no matter what Agdar had said. _I'd probably have gotten both Elsa and myself in trouble, though. No, now is the right time. Elsa's little enough she should be all right once she's settled around people that actually want her around._ "You were not bad, princess. You and your sister are children. Children have accidents. Period," she said firmly. "And I am trying to help you because I care about you and it is the right thing to do."

 _But I hurt her. We didn't just have an accident. I hit Anna with my powers._ "I tried to catch her and I…I missed," the little girl blurted. "She wouldn't slow down a-and I couldn't keep up with the snow towers and-"

"And that tells me it is all the more not your fault," Gerda interrupted. She had never heard Elsa say that much about the accident before, unless she counted the hundreds of times she had heard the princess say it had been her fault. _That actually sounds like it would have been more Anna's fault than Elsa's, if we were going to blame one of the girls. But she was five, and Anna never 'slows down' if you ask her to. Good grief. Does King Agdar know what happened?_ "Princess, you can't honestly tell me that you think the fact that you couldn't keep up, tried to tell your sister to slow down, and then ended up hitting her by accident in an effort to catch her, is your fault."

Elsa tensed again, more than she was already. "But I still hurt her," she mumbled. "I'm dangerous a-and defective."

"On the contrary, you are not." Gerda moved Elsa so she could see her face. "Your parents are not here, Princess Elsa. I'll not listen to the nonsense they've put into your head anymore. You could control your magic quite well before the accident, so you can again. You are not defective. You are special."

Elsa looked away, her blue eyes bright with tears. She could feel ice tingling in her fingers, wanting her to let it out. _Conceal, don't feel. Don't hurt Gerda, Elsa. You can't. You should make Gerda put you down, quilt and gloves or no._ "The magic is gone," she whispered finally, balling her hands into fists.

Gerda picked Elsa up entirely, set her down on the opposite side of their cabin, and then returned to the bunk. "The magic is not gone, princess. You have to find it again. Can you show me something with your magic? You can stay over there if you feel scared."

Elsa clutched the quilt wrapped around her and shook her head hard. "I'll hurt you," she whispered.

"How about if I leave the room and let you experiment on your own?" Gerda suggested, her tone saying that that was the most normal and ordinary thing in the world.

Elsa's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "I can't do that! What would Papa say?!" she asked incredulously. And yet, the tiny bit of Elsa that still wanted the fun her powers could make, despite what anyone said, really really liked Gerda's idea. If nobody was in the room, she wouldn't hurt anyone, even if she did lose control. _Don't even go there, Elsa. You shouldn't do that. You were bad._

Gerda's eyes glinted mischievously at that question. "I don't see how he will find out, Princess Elsa. _I_ certainly shall not tell him."

Elsa seemed to consider it for a moment, but then she shook her head firmly. She wouldn't disobey her daddy. Maybe he would like her better. Elsa curled back up on her bunk, still keeping Gerda's heavy quilt wrapped around her. Somehow the weight made her feel safer, and she also figured it made it okay for Gerda to stay near her. Although Elsa wouldn't admit it out loud, she felt lonely...and had felt that way since right after the accident. _Gerda makes me feel a little better._

Gerda sighed in disappointment, although she had already known that it wouldn't be easy to get Elsa to open up and be like she had been before the accident. At least Elsa wasn't sending her out of the room entirely. And the little girl had let herself be held, even if it was only when she was wrapped up in that quilt. That was a step in the right direction. "Would you like to go out on the deck, princess?" she asked.

 _Yes_. "I can't. I might hurt someone or make a mistake," Elsa whispered, although she really, really wanted to go. She missed being outdoors, and the bit of time she'd spent walking out to the courtyard and things that morning made her miss it all the more. An idea popped into her head, and the little girl sat up, still clutching the quilt around herself. "Could you make everyone stay away from me? Enough that they wouldn't see any ice if I mess up?" Elsa asked hopefully.

Gerda hesitated. "Princess Elsa, they'll think you're sickly or something," she answered, unsure what to do. Elsa wanted to go outside-just with a major caveat-and she was telling the little girl no. She couldn't do that. Gerda sighed and opened the porthole near Elsa's bunk. _She probably just wants fresh air…_ "There, princess, how's that?" Sure enough, Elsa's disappointed expression instantly vanished as she scrambled to the porthole…and then the little girl actually smiled as she stuck her face outside. Gerda sighed in relief.

Elsa loved the smell of the sea air; it made her feel all tingly inside, in a good way, unlike her ice made her feel when she was frightened or upset. "Papa prob'ly told them I had to leave Arendelle because I was sick," she told Gerda, her face still stuck outside.

"Princess, we don't know that for sure, and I don't think that makes you look good. You're still Arendelle's crown princess."

Elsa instantly jerked back inside and stared at Gerda, her blue eyes wide. "I am?" she asked in a small voice. "Papa s-sent me away."

Gerda tucked the quilt around the little girl so she wouldn't be scared and just pulled her close. "Did you think you didn't have your title anymore, Princess Elsa?" Gerda asked gently.

Elsa didn't respond for awhile, but she finally nodded. _I thought Papa gave my title to Anna._

"Even I know he cannot take that away from you without good reason, and there is none, princess," Gerda said. "Do you really think he's going to tell everyone about your magic?"

"No, but he might say I'm sick and that I can't be queen when I'm a grownup 'cause of that," the little girl said thoughtfully, sounding older than her ten years.

"Princess Elsa, he's not going to do that because it makes him so-called 'look bad'. He won't want to say one of his daughters is unfit to hold her title, no matter what he himself may think." Gerda shook her head, unsure what else to tell little Elsa that would convince her.

"Maybe, but I think it looks funny to send one of your kids away, even if she's me," Elsa said, her tone a bit huffy. Now that she was away from the castle and knew she was not going back, not for a long time anyways, it kind of made her angry. Anna was her little sister. Even if she had been bad and shouldn't get to play with Anna anymore, she should get to hear Anna's voice through that horrid ol' door at least. "I shouldn't get to play with Anna 'cause I hurt her, but I ought t' be able to hear her talk to me through that dumb door," she muttered.

Gerda was actually glad to hear Elsa's rarely used "mad voice". If the little girl was getting angry, like a short time ago when she'd purposely iced the floor in her room so she could skate on it, then that meant she would be more likely to speak up in her own defense, and maybe she would feel better, too. "We'll make sure you write your sister as often as you like. Would you like to do that now?"

Elsa nodded, a trace of a smile on her face.

* * *

Every evening before she went to sleep on the ship, Elsa wrote a bit more on her now-very-long letter to Anna. Gerda had suggested she write a bit each day and then ask her aunt and uncle to mail it for her once they arrived in Corona. Elsa still wouldn't let Gerda touch her without that quilt wrapped around her, but she did love Gerda holding her all the same…just as long as she had her gloves on and that quilt around her. "Thank you, Gerda," she said gratefully.

Gerda had started holding the little girl each evening until she fell asleep, despite the fact that Elsa was ten and not a toddler. She was delighted to see a welcome change in Elsa's demeanor in just the short time since they had left Arendelle. While it was clear that Elsa still missed being at home, and she was still quiet, as usual, and she still wouldn't try using her magic on purpose; she seemed quite a bit more chipper and she actually genuinely smiled once in a while. And while Elsa still woke up in tears from bad dreams more often than not, at least now Gerda could comfort her when that happened. "You have made far fewer accidents with your magic here on the ship than you did back in your room," Gerda told her the morning they arrived in Corona. "Perhaps you could try doing something with it on purpose now."

Elsa shook her head, but not quite as adamantly as usual. "I…I want to, but I don't wanna hurt you or make Papa mad. Or make Uncle Thomas and Aunt Primrose not want me too."

"Your father doesn't need to know, princess, and while I trust that you wouldn't hurt me, you can always experiment with your magic when you're by yourself," Gerda reminded her. "Also, you may not remember this because you were very, very little, but your aunt and uncle didn't mind your magic."

Elsa's expression perked up for a moment, but then she sighed and looked down at her toes as she followed Gerda out of the cabin. "They might think differently now 'cause I hurt Anna," she mumbled. She moved away when Gerda tried to hug her; without that quilt, little Elsa didn't think it was safe. _Uncle Thomas, Aunt Primrose, please like me okay_ , she begged silently as she walked across the deck toward the gangplank. It was sunny now, unlike the drizzly, gloomy day she'd left, and the little girl enjoyed the sun's rays shining on her despite the fact that she could not feel their warmth. Elsa spotted a lady that looked similar to her mother and immediately knew that was Aunt Primrose, who she sort of remembered but not very well. She gave the lady a tentative wave and kept walking. _Conceal, don't feel. No mistakes, Elsa. You can't._

Aunt Primrose didn't try to hug Elsa, but she did kneel down to her niece's height and handed her a small box. "Welcome to Corona, Elsa. We're very happy to have you here," she said, giving the little girl a smile. She frowned when Elsa nodded and whispered a clearly nervous thank-you, but didn't smile back. _What did Agdar and Idun do to her?_ Primrose knew about the accident from two years before and Elsa's supposed inability to control her magic, but she was positive something else was the matter. She probably thinks Thomas and I will end up wanting to send her away too. "We will _not_ be sending you away, magic control or no," she said firmly.

Elsa glanced around, worried that someone had heard that. "I hurt Anna," she mumbled, again looking down at the ground. She could feel ice tingling in her fingers, and she clutched the small present from her aunt tighter. "I…I wanna go inside. Please. I don't want anybody t' see me," she whispered.

"We're heading back to the castle in the carriage," Primrose said quickly. "It looks like all of your things have been loaded now."

Soon the three of them were inside the carriage, Elsa squished into one corner as small as she could. She was grateful when Gerda pulled out that quilt and put it around her; she instantly scooted close and let Gerda hold her. Primrose gave Gerda a questioning look at the little girl's odd behavior. "Isn't Elsa hot in that heavy dress under that quilt?"

"This is the only way Princess Elsa will let anyone hug her at the moment," Gerda said quietly. "And I don't think she registers heat the way you or I would. She always wears that kind of dress, hot or cold."

Elsa burrowed further into the quilt, her pale cheeks red in embarrassment.

"Well, I'm going to have some new dresses made for her all the same, then," Primrose said matter-of-factly. Addressing Elsa directly, she added, "You look darling in your dress, but it isn't suitable for summertime. You can save it for winter. Is your favorite color still blue?"

Elsa nodded but said nothing.

* * *

A LITTLE WHILE LATER…

"I…I don't have t' stay in my room all the time?" Elsa asked incredulously.

"Most certainly not!" Primrose told her indignantly. "What on earth made you think that?!"

"Papa made me stay in my room all the time," Elsa replied, her voice barely more than a whisper. _And he wouldn't let me talk to Anna._ While Elsa thought she would voluntarily stay in her new room in Corona most of the time anyways, it was nice that Aunt Primrose wouldn't make her do so. She plopped down on her new bed and began opening the small present from her aunt. Elsa gasped in delight-and surprise-when she saw what it was. There was a silver pendant on a delicate chain, the Arendelle crocus and a snowflake fused into one design. Engraved on the back of the pendant was her full name and the year. "It's so pretty," the little girl whispered, although this time the whisper was a happy one. She tried to unclasp the chain, but couldn't because of her gloves.

Primrose immediately realized what was going on and quickly fastened the necklace for her, being careful not to touch Elsa directly. To her surprise, Elsa grabbed that quilt once more and then voluntarily pressed herself close, her own version of a hug since she kept her hands hidden inside the quilt. "I'm glad you like it, Elsa," Primrose said, hugging the little girl close. "Your uncle and I want you to know that you are still Arendelle's crown princess, no matter if you live here, back in Arendelle, or somewhere else. And that those powers that you feel frightened of right now are part of you, and that that's a good thing. And one more thing: you _are_ wanted, Elsa. We love you very much."

Elsa's blue eyes welled with tears, and she couldn't keep them from trickling down her cheeks. Aunt Primrose and Uncle Thomas wanted her? They loved her? _The first time I make a mistake, they'll want to send me away too_ , Elsa couldn't help thinking. _Conceal, don't feel, conceal, don't feel._

Primrose could feel Elsa growing colder in her arms beneath the quilt, and there were snowflakes floating around her, but she ignored those things and just held her closer. "Is Elsa always like this?" Primrose asked, looking up at Gerda.

Gerda frowned. "Worse. She wouldn't even let anyone touch her at all before. We discovered the quilt idea on the trip here," she explained.

"Well, that is no matter," Primrose said firmly. She gave Elsa one last squeeze before pulling away so she could actually see Elsa's face. "Elsa, I'm not going to force you to let Gerda or me or anyone else near you, but I want you to know that you are _not_ to stay in this room all of the time. You can do so by yourself, but you have to spend at least thirty minutes outside every day. We'll give you a week or so to settle in, but then you are starting lessons again with Gerda and me. How does that sound?"

Elsa actually really, really wanted to go outside, but part of her couldn't believe that Aunt Primrose would let her do that. And she was terrified someone might see her make a power mistake or something. "I…I would very much like to go outside, but…but what if I mess up?"

"A bit of snow or ice won't hurt anything, Elsa," Primrose told her. "I know you and Anna had an accident with your magic once before, but you two are children. Accidents happen. It wasn't your fault. If you two had been climbing a tree and one of you fell, would you think that was the other one's fault?"

"No, but…but nobody has powers like mine. They're bad. They hurt Anna." Elsa's little face scrunched up in confusion. How could her aunt say it wasn't her fault?

"They make you special, Elsa. If you genuinely believe your powers are bad, why did you like the necklace?"

"It's pretty and it reminded me of home," Elsa replied quickly.

"Why do you think that snowflake is pretty and yours isn't?" Primrose asked, hoping the little girl would actually think about it.

"'Cause a silver snowflake won't hurt anybody like mine will," Elsa mumbled, looking down at her lap.

"Sweetie, a real snowflake won't hurt anybody either, and you know it. I saw you when you were tiny. You had perfect control of your magic then. That means you can control it just fine. We just have to figure out how to help you do that."

Elsa balled her hands into fists; she could feel ice tingling inside her, wanting her to let it out. "Conceal it, don't feel it, don't let it show," she whispered, half to herself and half not. _Conceal, don't feel._

Primrose frowned. "Where did you get that nonsense, Elsa? You can't not feel. Is that what you've been trying to do?"

Elsa scrunched her eyes shut in an effort to keep from crying. She knew she couldn't not feel. To hear a grownup she didn't even know very well say that meant a lot to her. Maybe her daddy was wrong. _I miss Anna._

"That King Agdar told her that because he thought it would control her magic," Gerda said in a slightly disdainful tone.

* * *

THAT EVENING…

"Thomas, I'm sure they meant well, but all I see that they succeeded in doing was hurt Elsa and make her feel scared of her own shadow," Primrose said angrily. "I spent quite a bit of today with her, and it's just…it's just horrible. She wanted to go outside, but wouldn't because she's convinced she'll lose control and hurt someone or make them hate her. She wants hugs, but she won't even let anyone touch her unless she has this heavy quilt around her. That necklace we had made for her-she loved it, but she won't even try to experiment with her magic, even after knowing she's not going to get in trouble for doing so. What on earth was Agdar thinking?!"

Thomas sighed. "There was something off with the way he treated Elsa when we visited Arendelle when she was a toddler," he reminded Primrose. "If I had to guess, his favorite is Anna anyway, and after that accident a couple years ago, he locked her away. I can understand being wary of ice magic, but locking a little kid in her room and telling her nonsense like the 'conceal, don't feel' thing you mentioned isn't helpful-it's abusive. Elsa is still nothing but a little girl, and being treated like she's a bother and that there's something wrong with her hurts her. That would hurt anyone." He paused, his expression thoughtful. "I wonder if the entire reason she's having trouble controlling her magic is simply because she hasn't been allowed to use it for two years. That means it's just building up inside her, if I had to guess."

"That would mean the poor girl will just explode eventually," Primrose said, horrified.

"Oh, no, not on our watch it won't," Thomas replied firmly. "Elsa lives here now, and you and I are supposed to be her guardians. Agdar isn't her boss here in Corona. If we can just convince Elsa to believe that Agdar isn't going to even know what she's doing or not doing with her magic in the first place, it'll be fine. I think I have an idea. Tomorrow is Saturday. There usually isn't too much to take care of on Saturdays anyway, but could you handle any business for me tomorrow? I'd like to have Elsa for the day."

"Of course, but what are you going to do that Gerda and I haven't?"

Thomas grinned at his wife mischievously. "Perhaps you two were encouraging her feeling bad for herself, you emotional women," he teased. "Never mind, just kidding. But I do have another idea that just might help. I think I'll take her down to the indoor shooting range for a little while."

Primrose frowned incredulously at that. "Elsa is only ten, and a girl," she pointed out.

"Well, yes, she is a bit young, but I remember when my father taught me to shoot. It made eleven-and-a-half-year-old me feel rather self-confident and grown up." Thomas shrugged and added, "Personally I see no reason why a girl shouldn't learn."

 **A/N: So Elsa's arrived in Corona and already feels a little better than before she left...she just really, really misses Anna, and she's still convinced everyone will hate her if they know about her magic, but give her a chance.:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing:)**

 **raven678 & warorpeace-I PMed you, so I won't make you reread the same thing here:)**

 **Elsa Tomago-YW! :) I thought it would be better for Elsa if Gerda came with her, and also I don't think a 10-year-old should be traveling alone, so. :) I figured since the girls are still so little at this point, I thought Anna giving one of her favorite toys to Elsa would mean a lot to both of them. Good grief, that would mean a lot to grown-up Elsa, too, for that matter. Don't worry, Elsa will get to see Anna eventually:)**

 **Olivia O'Neil-Thank you! I hope so:)**

 **Canon Sucks-Well, I'm glad you like it so far, but I'll still be keeping some plot points from the canon timeline. So the parents will die eventually. Elsa will be okay.:)**

 **I love you Elsa-Elsa does have Gerda with her, and she's not going to be nearly as isolated as in canon.**

 **IndyGirl89-Glad you like it!:)**

 **On to the story!**

NEXT MORNING…

"Elsa, I'd like you to join me this morning on a little tour and experiment," Thomas said, giving Elsa a reassuring smile. "There will be no one else present, I promise."

Elsa hesitated, but then just reached for Gerda's thick quilt. It should be okay as long as it was impossible for her to hurt anyone…right?

"I don't think a big girl ten years old needs a blankie," Thomas said without missing a beat, eyes twinkling good-naturedly.

"But I don't wanna hurt anybody."

"Elsa, you aren't going to hurt anybody. Just because you accidentally hurt Anna one time doesn't make you dangerous. If you fell riding your bike _one time_ , would you never ride again? Or if you climbed a tree and fell _one time_ , would you never, ever climb another one?" Thomas asked. "You could even slip going down some stairs. Are stairs then dangerous?"

Elsa tilted her head to one side, considering that. It was true. She and Anna had fallen numerous times, not just once, from lots of other things. More often than not one or both of them had had a scraped knee or elbow. They had fallen riding their bike down the stairs and crashed lots of times. Two of those times she'd twisted her ankle, one of those times badly enough that she couldn't walk on it for over a week. What was the difference between those things and the accident with her magic? _I did have perfect control before the accident. What happened?_ "Why can't I control it now though?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know, Elsa, but we're going to find out," Thomas told her. "I think much of it is simply because you've been frightened and haven't even tried to use it on purpose in so long. I want to show you something."

Elsa followed him curiously, keeping her gloved hands clasped carefully together. The Corona castle had a much different layout than the one back in Arendelle, but Elsa realized she wouldn't find it difficult to find her way back to her room; it was easy for her to remember where to go. She was surprised when her uncle took her to what seemed to be an indoor shooting range. "Why here?" she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Rather than answering Elsa's question directly, Thomas went and grabbed a small gun from against the wall that he thought little Elsa would be able to handle. He had been only a little older than Elsa when his own father had taught him how to shoot, and Elsa seemed plenty responsible enough to not be careless around firearms, so Thomas was sure he was doing the right thing. As he expected, Elsa took the gun willingly, although she seemed confused. "Elsa, I'll assume not since you're both a bit young and a girl, but have you ever handled one of these before?"

Elsa's blue eyes were big as she shook her head. "Nooo…but before th' accident, I kinda wanted to try," she said after a moment. "Papa wouldn't let me 'cause he said I was too little and princesses didn't use guns."

Thomas chuckled. "Well, I was a bit older than you are now when I learned, but I think you're responsible enough. There is one very, very important rule you must remember: never, never come down here without an adult, all right? Not until I've told you otherwise."

Elsa nodded.

"Also, always make sure the range is completely clear before shooting, understand?" Thomas showed Elsa how to hold the gun and pull the trigger; then let her try on her own.

Elsa smiled when she hit the edge of the target on her first try. "How do I get it closer t' the middle?"

"Practice. Lots and lots of practice. That was quite good for your first try though, Elsa."

They kept practicing for the next twenty minutes or so, Elsa still just hitting the edges of the target, and then Thomas had Elsa clean her gun and put it back. "Now we're going to do the same thing with your magic," Thomas said matter-of-factly. "Follow me."

* * *

Elsa was puzzled and more than a little scared at that comment, but she obediently followed Uncle Thomas out of the shooting range to a neighboring area that appeared almost identical, if a bit smaller. There were three targets at the end, and rather than the firearms against the opposite wall, there were several snow shovels and ice scrapers, along with a pair of ice skates that looked like they would probably fit her. "Uncle Thomas, it…it looks l-like a practice area for…for m-me," she whispered. _Uncle Thomas wants me_ -expects me- _to use my magic? Doesn't he know what Papa said? And…and what if I mess up?_

"That's because that's exactly what it is, Elsa," Thomas told her. "Now this place you are free to come to whenever you like. As part of your lessons, you'll have to come practice for thirty minutes every day. Outside of that time, you can come whenever you choose."

"But…" Elsa sighed and looked down at her hands. "What will Papa say?"

"Elsa, he gets to know only what you and your aunt and I choose to tell him. We won't tell him unless you want us to," Thomas assured her. "And before you tell me your magic is dangerous, you just handled firearms perfectly fine with no trouble. What is the difference? A gun is far more fundamentally dangerous than your magic. You have trouble controlling it because you've been trying to keep it contained for two years. I also think it might have something to do with you feeling scared or sad," he added. "You didn't even make the temperature drop a little bit the entire time on the shooting range, and you seemed calm and mostly happy."

"Make the temperature drop?" Elsa asked, not entirely understanding. _Wait…I can't feel temperatures. But I could before the accident. And I did mess up the temperature when I was upset or chose to do so…_

Thomas frowned. "Can you feel the temperature change?" he asked. When Elsa just looked away and wouldn't reply, her cheeks pink, he knew the answer. "Well, it doesn't matter, Elsa. We don't mind."

" _I_ mind," Elsa muttered, her eyes beginning to cloud over with tears. "I miss being able to feel warm. It's like…like I'm in a bubble. A yucky one. I mean, I never knew what 'cold' really felt like even before since I'm immune to it, but I could feel heat then." _Like from Anna's warm hugs_ , she couldn't help thinking. She saw frost spreading on the floor beneath her feet, and she backed away from her uncle. "I'm s-sorry."

"Elsa, you're proving my idea right now. You're upset and frightened, and you're losing control. Rather than think about that 'conceal, don't feel' nonsense, could you try to think of something happy and purposely let some of your magic out?" Thomas suggested. "You can follow the same rules we did with the gun. The area is clear, so you can aim your magic toward the targets. If it goes awry, it won't matter." He could tell the little girl was thinking about it; she kept looking at her hands and then the targets at the opposite wall, fiddling with her gloves. "How about I leave for five minutes or so and let you try on your own? I'll knock before coming back in."

Elsa hesitated. _Uncle Thomas promised not to tell Papa anything about my powers. I already messed up in front of him, too, so I don't think he'll change his mind if I mess up again_. Quite honestly she really wanted to try Uncle Thomas's idea, and she could feel her magic stirring inside her in a different way than usual. Something oddly familiar. Something pleasantly tingly instead of the nervous unpleasant kind. _Anna would tell me to do it. I know she would. She never worried about getting in trouble or messing stuff up._

 _But I hurt her. Would she be scared of me or hate me for that?_

 _Don't be dumb, Elsa. Anna loves you whether you're stupid or messed up or anything else. She wouldn't hate you. Or be scared, even if she should be. She'd give you a hug and say it was okay._

The frost beneath Elsa's feet vanished in a flash.

Elsa's eyes grew big in surprise as she looked up at her uncle. "It went away! It never does that for me anymore!" she yelped, incredulous.

Thomas gave her a reassuring smile, but then something else popped into his head. Elsa's magic reacted to her emotions and thoughts. They knew it went _out_ of control when she was scared and upset. So what made it stay _in_ control? Thomas knew very little about magic aside from the magic flower that had healed Primrose a decade before, but it had to be something so simple everyone was missing it. "Elsa, I need you to think very carefully. What were you thinking about or feeling the moment the frost disappeared?" he asked gently, kneeling to the little girl's height.

Elsa made a face. "It already felt a teeny bit different 'cause I was thinking about trying. My powers like that idea," she whispered, looking down at the floor. _Why'd I say that? Papa always gets mad at me if I say something like that._

"All right, then what?"

"That…that Anna would tell me to do it," Elsa said slowly. "Then I thought I hurt her and that she might hate me or be scared of me." Elsa's face suddenly lit up as she continued, "The frost went away when the other Elsa said that Anna loved me and would no matter what was or wasn't wrong with me!"

Thomas was puzzled by the 'other Elsa' comment, but he knew they were getting somewhere. "And how do you feel right this moment?" He could already tell there was something different in Elsa; she was standing a bit straighter and yet more relaxed.

"Nervous, but the good kind that makes your stomach all tickled. Like…like when you go on a swing really high and then close your eyes," Elsa explained. "And…and happy." She wasn't bouncing on her toes like Anna might, but she was actually smiling, her blue eyes clearly happy. _I wanna try. I really, really do. Maybe…maybe it's okay?_

"Do you feel like your magic 'wants to get out' right now?" Thomas asked.

Elsa hesitated, but then shook her head. "No, I mean yes, it does want out, but…but more like it just wants to play or something. It isn't mad at me because it's trying to get out and I won't let it like always," she said quietly. She noticed that Uncle Thomas looked confused by this, so she tried to explain herself better. "It hurts when I try to hold it in when I'm scared or upset," Elsa clarified.

"Elsa, didn't it ever occur to you to tell someone what you just told me?" Thomas questioned. _If it quite literally causes her pain to try to hold her magic in, then she feels like that all the time. She's just a little kid!_ Before Elsa could make any protest, Thomas grabbed her by the wrist and pulled off one of her gloves. There were small scratches and cuts all over the little girl's palm and fingers. They looked mostly healed aside from two clearly fairly fresh ones. "Does anyone know about this?" he asked gently.

Elsa tried to pull herself away, but Uncle Thomas wouldn't let go, and she finally gave up, tears trickling down her cheeks. "I wanted t' let the sparks out," she mumbled.

Thomas frowned. _Sparks? What sparks? And…_ "Did you do that to yourself on purpose, Elsa? Quit trying to pull away. If your magic hurts me, that will be my fault for holding you, not yours," he said firmly. "I will not punish you if that's the case, Elsa," Thomas added, looking the little girl right in the face. "I just need to know what happened so we can help."

Elsa gave one final yank hard enough that her uncle let go and she ended up losing her balance and sitting on the stone floor. She bit her lip before pulling off her other glove and scratching at the newest cut with her fingernails. _Anna would say t' tell the truth. And she'd say me doing this was really stupid, but she wouldn't hate me for it, I don't think._ "I have funny blue sparks inside me," Elsa explained, holding up her hand. "From my powers. I wanted t' get them out. I thought it might get rid of my ice," she said softly. Now that she was trying to explain herself out loud, Elsa thought that explanation sounded awfully stupid, even to her own ears. And her hand stung. A lot.

"Elsa, those blue sparks are part of your blood. You can't take your blood out, you silly girl," Thomas said, forcing a smile. "Go to the bathroom between here and the shooting range and wash your hands really well. We keep first-aid supplies in the cabinet under the sink. The rest of those marks are fine, but please put a bandage on that newest one, all right? Think you can do that?"

"I might freeze the water." _And I was bad. I hurt Anna._

"No, you won't, because I can tell you are not frightened at the moment. I'll help you fix up your hand if you like." Quite honestly, Thomas was horrified, but he was determined not to let Elsa know that. Surely Elsa would have realized soon on her own that hurting herself was not going to get those blue sparks from her magic out of her. Still…he was sure that wasn't the entire reason the little girl had been doing that.

Elsa was surprised at her uncle's reaction to the whole thing. It was clear to her that while he was upset by it, he didn't think she was weird or stupid. And…and he actually seemed to _believe_ that she wouldn't mess up, not just order her not to the way her daddy was likely to do. Because of all that, and because she didn't freeze the water, much to her surprise, she ran back into the other room without fixing her hand herself and held it up wordlessly, still not meeting Uncle Thomas's eyes. _Elsa, you can't let Uncle Thomas touch your hand, you might hurt him. 'Sides he probably won't anyway. He just assumes you won't let him and that's why he said he'd take care of you. You were bad._

But Elsa felt Uncle Thomas gently touching her hand, and while she scrunched her eyes shut and instinctively flinched, no ice leaked from her hands. A bit of frost formed beneath her feet, mostly out of surprise. Uncle Thomas didn't even flinch. Or pull away. She hesitantly peeked up at her uncle, her blue eyes confused and a bit worried. Something had to be wrong. It just had to. Her daddy never treated her this nicely.

Thomas told the little girl he was going to give her a hug, and immediately did so before she could protest. To his surprise, Elsa didn't even try to pull away; she tensed briefly but then went limp, happy tears running down her cheeks. It was all too clear to him that Elsa just wanted to be loved, and couldn't quite believe that she was with people that were willing to do that for her now.

"Why…why are y-you being so nice to me? I…I'm not made right," Elsa whispered. "I hurt Anna." She seemed to suddenly realize that her uncle was holding her when she didn't have Gerda's blanket…or one of her gloves, and she tried to pull herself free.

"Listen to me, Elsa, and listen closely," Thomas said firmly. He let Elsa pull away, but grabbed both of her hands and held them tightly, despite the cold emanating from her bare hand.

Elsa gasped, her blue eyes wide. She just stared in shock at her left hand…her bare left hand, and stood stock still, unable to move. Even her magic abruptly ceased its incessant stirring inside her, seemingly just as surprised as the rest of her.

"You are my niece, Elsa, and even if you were not, I would still be nice to you. Primrose and I care about you. We _want_ you here. You are not 'not made right'. You are unique, yes, but your magic is NOT a bad thing. It's simply part of who Elsa Ingrid Nicoletta Grieg is. You know this already, Elsa, deep inside. I know you do." Thomas paused before continuing, "I know you're hurting, and that's normal. But I'll not have you badmouth yourself like that. Hurting yourself mentally-or physically, like those marks on your hand-needs to stop. We can help you, but it's really something you have to do yourself. Do you understand that?" Thomas's kind expression didn't match his firm tone of voice.

Elsa nodded and backed away the second he released her hands, biting her lip to keep herself from crying. _Conceal, don't feel. I don't wanna hurt Uncle Thomas. But…but he was actually holding my hands, and I didn't hurt him…And Papa was mean to me, but I still miss him and Mama. And I want Anna back._ "I c-can't hear Anna's voice anymore," the little girl whimpered, hiding her face in her hands. The sad snowflakes were instantly back, floating around her once more.

"Perhaps your aunt and I could invite Anna to come visit," Thomas ventured, unsure what to tell little Elsa. Elsa's parents probably wouldn't _let_ Anna come visit.

Elsa's countenance instantly shifted, her blue eyes blazing. "They won't let Anna come. Why do you think Papa sent _me_ here? They don't want me! They're not going to let Anna come," she said in a much snappier tone than Thomas thought was possible from Elsa. Elsa had her hands balled into fists, and she could feel ice tingling and leaking out, but this time she didn't try to 'conceal, don't feel'. She turned toward the targets at the opposite end of the room, put one foot behind the other, and threw three icicles in quick succession, one right after the other.

They all hit the center of their targets.

Elsa stared in surprise at the targets and then at her hands. The glove still on her right hand was in shreds. _I did that with my right hand. I still had my glove on that one._ "The gloves don't do anything," she whispered darkly. Then, looking up at her uncle, "They don't _do_ anything!" she repeated, louder.

Thomas had been suspicious of that since he'd first seen Elsa, simply because he didn't see how cloth gloves would stop magical ice. This confirmed it. "I think your gloves only work if you believe they do," he said gently. "Elsa, a bit of cloth isn't going to keep your magic in. _You_ are what makes it stay in, not the gloves."

Elsa scowled. "Then why'd Papa say that? Why did he make me wear 'em in the first place? I hate them. They itch, and…a-and I can't touch anything right," she said uncomfortably, clasping her hands behind her back. Elsa looked down at the floor and began scuffing one foot back and forth on the stones. "I…I'm sorry. I'll be quiet-I'll be good and I won't be all naughty any more," she whispered, as if Thomas might have been angry with her for complaining about the itchy gloves. _I don't wanna make Uncle Thomas mad at me. What if he changes his mind and wants to send me away too? Where would I even go?_

"Elsa, it's all right. You don't have to wear them here," Thomas said quickly. He was hesitant to try explaining why Elsa's father had done a lot of things regarding Elsa and her magic. Elsa acted as if she had committed some terrible crime for being angry and complaining about something that wasn't even fair to her.

"But…but I hurt Anna. I was bad, I oughta be punished," the little girl mumbled.

Thomas just grabbed Elsa by the wrist when it looked like she was going to scratch at her hand again. "What's bad is you trying to scratch up your own skin. Quit that, Elsa," he ordered, pulling her close despite the snowflakes floating around her. "I know you didn't hurt Anna on purpose. It was an accident. You can't blame yourself for an accident. Do you understand? I don't care what you've been told, you are _not_ bad. I'm sure you've done some naughty things, like swiping cookies when you weren't supposed to or something, but you're just a normal ten-year-old girl."

Elsa's big blue eyes filled with tears. "How is _that_ normal?" she whispered, pointing at the snowflakes. The little girl almost sounded disgusted, not just surprised.

"Because, Elsa, your magic is simply part of you. It's Princess Elsa's normal."

"I don't like my normal then," Elsa said stubbornly after a moment, crossing her arms, hiding her hands again.

"Then you had better learn to like it then, because it isn't going to change," Thomas told her matter-of-factly. "Run back up to your new room, Elsa. Gerda will take you out to pick up a few things this afternoon."

Elsa's pale face turned white in fear. "I-I don't wanna go out anywhere! I'll mess up and…and…I don't know, I don't wanna go anywhere," she begged. "Please let me stay in my room. I…I'll be good, I promise!" _What if I made a mistake in public? Or worse yet, hurt someone? And…and what if people want to talk to me? I don't wanna talk to strangers._ "There will be a bunch of people I don't know and they'll want t' talk to me, and-"

"They will not, Elsa. I've procured a simple dress from one of the servants' children that should fit you. Nobody will recognize you. You can go out like that today, and once you're comfortable with that, you can go out as the crown princess you are. How's that?" Thomas couldn't help chuckling when Elsa's eyes grew big and round in curiosity. It was clear that she was intrigued with this idea, just unsure of actually doing it.

"What if I make a mistake?" Elsa asked hesitantly.

Thomas gave her a reassuring smile and looked her straight in the eyes. "Elsa, most people would be surprised and not care one way or the other that you have magic," he said, positive that his hunch was right.

The trouble was that a magic golden flower that healed people was not anything like 'active' ice powers like Elsa's.

A magic golden flower that could heal could be stolen, but it wasn't a weapon.

Ice powers were a potentially deadly weapon, like it or not.

That was the other reason the first thing Thomas had done with Elsa was bring her down to the shooting range and have a separate area just for her to practice with her magic, carefully making it clear that she could both play and fight with her powers without expressly saying so. Thomas wanted to make sure his niece was comfortable with what she was capable of…and that included having a built-in weapon, even if she never, ever had to use it. He also remembered a small number of people causing a hullaballoo when they had found out what had cured Primrose a decade before. Some, not all, of course, but some, people were prejudiced against magic. And others would certainly want to take advantage of it. Seeing a completely untrained little kid hit targets' bull's-eyes three times in quick succession without any trouble whatsoever had just cemented that knowledge in his mind.

Elsa had to learn to use her magic _proficiently_ , and she had to be thoroughly comfortable in her own skin, preferably before anyone found out about it. It would have been bad enough if she were a mere citizen, but as Arendelle's crown princess, it was imperative and indispensable. If little Elsa did lose control in public, it would cause all kinds of trouble for both Corona and Arendelle and people would know exactly why Arendelle's heir to the throne had been sent away. _I'll tell all this to Elsa once she feels a little better. She's not ready yet._

* * *

Gerda had been surprised but delighted when Elsa came back upstairs sans gloves. She was tempted to say something about it, but she didn't. She'd just sent the little girl to the bathroom to change her dress. Now, much to her surprise all the more, Elsa was holding out her hairbrush, clearly wanting help with her hair, which she had been refusing since a bit after the accident. "I'll be delighted to," Gerda said quickly.

Elsa flinched when Gerda gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, but she didn't move away. Somehow it felt…nice to let Gerda brush out her hair and braid it. Without thinking, she pressed herself close to Gerda the second she was finished, still refusing to actually hug or touch Gerda but wanting to be close all the same. _What am I doing? Papa would be so mad at me. But…I don't know. I feel so much better here it's not even funny._ Something _was wrong at home and it wasn't_ all _stupid me and my ice wanting out. It doesn't even feel upset with me right now._

Again Gerda was very surprised, but she instantly hugged little Elsa close and gave her a kiss right on the top of her head. "I don't know what your uncle told you, but I'm so glad you're feeling better, Miss Elsa. You look so much happier."

"My ice feels okay right now, not like it wants out. Can…can I s-stay close 'til it's upset again?" Elsa whispered. "Please?"

"You can stay close even if your magic does feel upset again," Gerda told her quietly. "I am not scared of you, Miss Elsa." Without waiting for a reply, Gerda simply picked her up and went to sit on the small sofa across from the bed, holding Elsa tightly. Gerda grew concerned when she felt the little girl trembling in her arms and growing colder, but she said nothing. Whatever she did, she was not going to risk pushing Elsa away again.

Elsa abruptly reached for the doll Anna had given her right before she'd left Arendelle and clutched it to her chest. _I messed up-bad-but I_ will _get you back, Anna. I didn't take care of you like a big sister's supposed to. But I love you all the same, Anna. And…and maybe Gerda and Uncle Thomas and Aunt Primrose can fix me._ "An…Anna doesn't 'member my powers," Elsa whispered. "What if…what if she's scared of me like Papa?"

"Your daddy isn't scared of you, princess. He just doesn't understand you," Gerda said quickly.

"Yes, he is. He made disappointed faces at me all the time. And scared ones too. I think he made me try to keep the ice in because he's scared of it. And…and he likes Anna better anyway," the little girl said firmly. Her face scrunched up as she added, "Papa called me a burden, too. I heard him."

Gerda was slightly disturbed at the matter-of-fact way Elsa said this. _She's only ten. Elsa should not have heard such garbage, poor thing._ "Miss Elsa, you are _not_ a burden, no matter what nonsense you heard your father say. And your sister loves you very much, and I know she always will, no matter what. She did give you her favorite toy, to remember her by."

"Anna...loves… _me_?" Elsa's voice cracked, and tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked at doll-Anna's smiling cloth face. She could feel Gerda holding her securely, hugging her and not pulling away or looking disgusted because she'd made a power mistake again. _Gerda loves me too_ , the little girl realized suddenly. _Isn't love putting other people's needs before yours? She's making me feel all nice and…and safe, and she knows it's possible I might hurt her, although I…I can feel that it won't do anything bad or dangerous right now. It just feels…sad. And all squashed. And…and…wait a minute._ "Gerda, I…I feel somethin' different!" Elsa blurted suddenly.

Gerda just looked puzzled, although she did notice that Elsa's little body wasn't so freezing to hold anymore-she was cooler than an ordinary person, certainly, but she was not cold anymore. And she was not shaking, and all but a few of Elsa's 'sad snowflakes' were gone. "What's that, Miss Elsa? What feels different?"

"I…I don't know!" Elsa's big blue eyes were wide in wonder as she touched her own bare arm and then hesitantly touched Gerda's for a split second…just with her fingertips.

"Gerda, I think…I think I can feel temperatures again."

 **A/N: Well, Elsa still isn't quite sure how her magic works, but she's ALMOST got it. :)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing:)**

 **Elsa Tomago-Yep, Elsa is already lots better! I figure once she has a chance to not be trying to hold all that magic in all the time, it wouldn't be so hard for her to control it anyways, since there won't be this big "overload" of sorts. So by the end of this chapter, she's still not _comfortable_ with her magic, but it doesn't feel so awful to try to hold it in all the time. And yes, she can feel temperatures again!:) ^_^**

 **IndyGirl89-Agreed. In Corona, Elsa has multiple people that love and care about her for who she is, and they actually tell her so:)**

 **ElsaLuver & Constellations of Neverland-I PMed you, so I won't make you reread the same thing here:)**

 **Elsa's the best-You're welcome! I'm glad you liked it.:) She will figure it out completely soon!**

 **(Sorry that this chapter is a little shorter than usual; I hope you still like it. :)**

"Gerda, I want to go back to the castle," Elsa whispered. She had rather reluctantly followed Gerda out of the perceived safety behind the castle walls, but now she just wanted to go back to her new room and hide. Everything seemed too bright and too noisy. And now that she could actually feel the temperature, she was _hot_. She hated that feeling, although somehow it was nice to know that she was able to do so. Elsa had the uncomfortable sensation that everyone around her was staring at her and Gerda, even though she knew that wasn't true and nobody was paying them any more mind than they would any of the other people on the street. "I'm gonna mess up," she added hesitantly, nervous ice tingling in her fingers.

Elsa balled her bare hands into fists. Knowing that the gloves did nothing at all had made her adamantly decide that she was never, ever wearing them again, but now she regretted that decision. At least they would hide any mistakes if they were just frost. _Conceal, don't feel. No, wait…Anna. Think about Anna. And Gerda holding me and making me feel better._

The frost on her palms disappeared, but the uncomfortable tingling sensation that her magic wanted out remained, and she dearly wanted to get somewhere quiet. Now she wasn't even terrified of hurting anyone; she just felt completely overstimulated and wanted to put her hands over her ears and disappear. The little girl spotted a small alley between two buildings, and she darted into the shadows without thinking. _Finally. Quiet,_ she thought, relieved. Then Elsa jumped back when someone ran into the alley, nearly knocking her over. _I should go back and find Gerda. This isn't safe._

"Hey, who are you, little girl?" the person asked. The voice didn't sound threatening, just curious.

Elsa figuratively froze and just stood stock still. She wasn't supposed to be Princess Elsa, just a random little kid. "El…Ella," she answered hesitantly, thinking of the way Anna had mispronounced her name sometimes when Anna was a toddler. Elsa rather wished she had thought of something more different from her real name than 'Ella', but she'd already said it, and the boy didn't seem suspicious.

"You look kinda like the mural thing of the lost princess when she was a baby. Just…paler. And you have blue eyes instead of green."

 _That's 'cause she's my cousin,_ Elsa thought, biting her lip. She narrowed her eyes when the boy took an apple and a whole loaf of bread from his shirt sleeve. "You swiped that food, didn't you? That's _wrong_!"

"Well hey, aren't you the little killjoy."

Elsa instinctively put her arms up when the boy reached toward her, and magic burst from her hands, tossing him to the ground. _What have I done?! I knew I shouldn't have gone anywhere outside the castle. And…and what if he's hurt? And if he's not, he'll tell somebody!_ Elsa's thoughts raced as she slowly backed away, her arms crossed protectively around her middle. "I'm sorry, I…I'm…are you okay? I-" _I hurt someone again. Just like I did Anna. Conceal, don't feel._

To Elsa's surprise, the boy scrambled to his feet, none the worse for wear except for a few scrapes and a patch of frostbite on his arm. He didn't look scared, either, still just curious. "What I was _saying_ , was that I think you must've lifted that necklace, because the way you're dressed there's no way you or whoever else you might live with have money for jewelry like that."

Elsa's hand flew to her neck. It was true; she was still wearing the silver necklace from her aunt and uncle. She quickly tucked it inside her dress. Elsa cringed when she heard the boy's next words; then just stared in surprise.

"So you're, like, a mini ice witch? Can you do more magic? Just, like, not aim it at me this time?" The boy began poking curiously at the ice and frost on the ground. "Name's Flynn, by the way."

"I…I didn't do that," Elsa blurted, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"Oh, come on, yes, you did! You're acting weird and standoffish. Why would you say 'I'm sorry' if you didn't do it? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Flynn grabbed her by the arm and tugged her over to the other boy that had just entered the little alley. "Hey, Red, we've got a new friend to our posse! She'll be great for playing pranks!" To Elsa he added, "That's Frederic. I call him Red for short."

Elsa glanced from one boy to the other uncertainly. Flynn was probably a couple of years older than she was, and she guessed 'Red' was maybe eleven or so. _What will Gerda and Uncle Thomas and Aunt Primrose say if they find out who I've been talking to? Don't I have to tell somebody they were stealing things?_ "I…I've got to go," she said finally. "My…mother will be looking for me. We have to take some…some food for the castle kitchens back…"

The boys exchanged glances and just shrugged. "You meet us in front of the royal family mural tomorrow afternoon at around three then. If you can."

"Okay," Elsa replied without thinking. _Why did I just say that?!_

* * *

Elsa ended up walking back to the castle by herself since Gerda wasn't where she'd left her. To her surprise, there were about twenty-five guards about to leave the castle…to look for her. Gerda instantly picked her up and hugged her close the second she saw her. "I thought someone had kidnapped you! You were missing, and I couldn't find you _anywhere_ ," Gerda whispered.

Elsa didn't understand the tears in Gerda's eyes at first. "You're…crying? Because you couldn't find me?" she asked incredulously. She instinctively flinched when Gerda gently stroked her hair, but she didn't run off, either.

"Princess, you have people here that love you very much, including me. I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

* * *

Elsa wasn't able to meet her new acquaintances 'in front of the royal family mural tomorrow at around three', but she did see them right outside the castle walls the next day as she carried one of the trash cans out to the trash wagon to be carried away. Dressed in her simple servant girl's dress again, she felt safer because she could blend in without anyone watching her because she was a princess. Although Uncle Thomas had been slightly perturbed that she wanted some simple chore to do so she could go do something on her own, he had given her the simple job of dumping two of the trash cans. At least she was willing to go outside.

"Hey, psst, Ella," Flynn hissed when he saw her. "Want to come with us?"

Elsa nodded but then shook her head, and just dumped the trash and trotted away with her empty can.

"Well, what's with her?" Frederic, aka 'Red', asked beside him.

Flynn narrowed his eyes as he watched Elsa reappear with a second can. The girl said a shy thank-you to the garbage man and then dropped a slightly too proper and formal curtsy for a little servant girl. "She's not just a servant's kid. And I shoulda noticed before, she's got a different accent. I don't think Ella's from Corona at all," he proclaimed. "You distract the garbage dude. I'm getting Ella. I want to talk to her. Meet us around the side."

Elsa instantly realized what was going on, but since she figured the boys wouldn't steal garbage-or if they did, who cared?-she didn't say anything. "I can't come, I…" Elsa had no idea what excuse to make up, and she didn't really want to lie anyways. Although she knew her parents would be mortified if they knew she went to play with a couple of commoner kids who had been stealing food to boot, part of her was _dying_ for the chance to have friends near her own age, and they had already seen her stupid powers and hadn't cared, too. _If Aunt Primrose or Uncle Thomas finds out, they might be mad too. What if they decided they didn't want me here anymore?_

"You want to come but think your mom or whoever will say no?" Flynn supplied. "Well, then come now and ask forgiveness later. Want to come hang out for awhile, ice girl?"

Elsa stiffened. The nickname had been casually dropped in jest and she could tell Flynn wasn't trying to make fun of her, but she still felt frightened that a stranger knew her secret, and it was difficult for her to believe that someone would see her magic and be immediately okay with it. "Don't call me that," she ordered, mustering up her best authoritative voice.

Flynn grinned at her. "All right, ice girl."

"El…Ella!"

"Ice girl Ella. Hey, I like nicknames."

Elsa huffed in annoyance and ran back inside.

* * *

"So where's Ella?" Frederic asked a few minutes later.

Flynn sighed. "Guess I chased her away. I called her ice girl and she got mad and ran off. I didn't want to drag her if she didn't want to come. That's mean. I'll steal food and money. Not a new friend." He shrugged. "Now I just want to know her secret! It's not every day you see magic like that. Then there's the weird resemblance to that mural of the Lost Princess as a baby and her accent. I like mysteries. And I want to solve this one!"

"So F&F is on the case again?" Frederic grinned. "Oh, the garbage guy gave me some discards from the castle kitchens. We'll be stuffed tonight." He handed his friend several slightly burnt rolls wrapped up in a bit of paper and a bag of half-eaten sandwiches and some vegetables that quite honestly looked perfectly fine.

Flynn spotted a couple guards heading toward them and shoved the rolls back into Frederic's hands before heaving his friend up on his back and running off as fast as he could. "Figures! Red, we gotta figure out a…faster way…to get away from…places!" he panted between breaths. "You're worse than…a sack of…potatoes!"

"Hey, I can beat you up a tree any day!" Frederic thumped Flynn good-naturedly on the head but just held on otherwise. Soon the boys had lost the guards, and they slowed down.

Flynn put Red down, and the two of them mutually decided without saying a word that they'd head out on the bridge leading out to the countryside. Whenever they ended up with enough food for more than a day or so, they liked to go sleep in the countryside. The grass was far more comfortable than staying in an alley somewhere, and they both liked climbing trees. Also they were experimenting catching and cooking fish and rabbits and the like.

"You know I don't really think you're a sack of potatoes," Flynn deadpanned rather than actually apologizing.

Frederic just poked him with his crutch and grinned. "I'll bet. I get us all the good stuff!" He had had a lame leg as long as he could remember, well…almost. He had a vague memory of a wagon or something running him over and then a slightly older child-that must have been Flynn-tugging him to safety. Frederic assumed that he must have injured his leg somehow and it hadn't healed right or something, he wasn't sure. In any event, he and Flynn had been inseparable friends ever since. "I'm not sure I like the idea of you inviting a girl to join our group," he said after a minute or two of walking in silence. "She might be a chicken."

"Maybe, but how chicken can she be? She's got magic!"

* * *

BACK AT THE CASTLE…

"You look darling, Elsa," Primrose assured her self-conscious niece several days later. "There's no reason you can't wear short sleeves. It's summertime!"

Elsa didn't like her arms showing. She was still kind of worried someone might touch her, and even if fabric wouldn't stop her magic and her magic usually came out from her hands or feet anyways, it still made her feel a little better. And she thought her pale skin looked funny. Even the seamstress that had brought the dresses had commented on that. Aunt Primrose had shushed her indignantly, but the little girl had still heard it all the same. "That lady asked you why I looked so pallid," she mumbled, hugging herself and looking down at the floor. "I know what that means. Means I look abnormal and sick 'cause I'm so pale."

"Honey, you're just naturally very fair. It doesn't mean you look abnormal or sick," Primrose said firmly, fastening the light cloak she'd had made for Elsa around the little girl's shoulders. "See, I know you like having that bulky blanket of Gerda's around you. You can have a cape instead. It's soft. If there is anything here you absolutely hate, we will have something else made for you. Is there anything else you'd like?" She frowned when little Elsa just shook her head and whispered a thank-you but didn't smile. "Is it all right to hug you?"

Elsa would not return the gesture, but she nodded and buried her face in her aunt's dress. Although her mother never hugged her anymore and really hadn't since Anna had come along, Elsa still missed her, and she felt bad for treating Aunt Primrose like a surrogate mother, along with Gerda. But mostly she missed Anna. Anna had loved when they got new clothes, although she would be careful for all of five minutes and the new clothes would get wrecked and Gerda would have to fix them. And Elsa felt ridiculous for thinking it, but _something_ was different about her Corona dresses. She felt out of place in them. They weren't the same. She wanted her old ones with the snowflake-flower rosemaling designs on them that didn't have all the fancy smocking and lacing on the bodice.

Primrose bit her lip as she watched Elsa fiddling with the bodice on her dress. The little girl just looked uncomfortable, and Primrose was quite certain that this time it was not because she was scared. She knelt down to Elsa's height and looked her right in the eyes. "Elsa, please tell me what's wrong. It's all right if you hate the dresses. We can alter them or get different ones." She suddenly thought of something and went to pull out a different dress, this one more similar to Elsa's winter dresses, just a summer one with short sleeves and lighter fabric. "Do you like this one?"

Immediately Elsa's big blue eyes lit up. That dress looked almost exactly like the favorite dress she'd had when she was eight that didn't fit anymore.

"And how about this one?" Primrose held up a green dress more like the style of the one Elsa had on right that second.

"Anna would like it."

"Ah. But it's for you, not your sister. You have to like your dresses, not anyone else," Primrose said firmly. "It seems like you're just used to your 'Arendelle style' dresses, that's all. So we'll have some of both for you. You might not like to stand out so much here in Corona sometimes. And I'll not have any more clothes made for you without you helping choose. Would you like that?"

Elsa nodded and smiled a bit, but the little smile quickly faded. "I miss Anna _so_ much," she whispered, her eyes welling with tears. _Conceal, don't feel. Wait, Uncle Thomas said that didn't help. But…_ "I think I c-could at least be in the same room with her now and not hurt her…" She flinched and backed up when Aunt Primrose tried to give her another hug. She was upset right now. Therefore it wasn't safe.

"Elsa, we figured out you beating yourself up inside makes your magic get upset too. I'll take my chances holding you when you're sad if it helps you feel better," Primrose said gently. "I trust you even if you don't."

 _You shouldn't do that. Anna trusted me to catch her and I didn't. I tried, but I didn't._ Elsa felt herself being picked up and held close, and she folded her hands tight against her chest, but she didn't pull away. Elsa's magic really didn't feel like it would explode out of her right then; she could feel ice tingling in her fingertips, but the days of sessions of purposely using her ice alone in that room next to the shooting range had already helped. She didn't feel like she was about to burst every time she got upset. It still felt uncomfortable to force her powers to stay at bay sometimes, but the feeling was no longer horridly overwhelming like it had been before.

Rather than ask if the little girl was all right, Primrose just held her and stroked her platinum hair until Elsa relaxed and was her naturally cool self again. "We'll be having a ball near the end of summer, similar to your Annual Crocus Festival you have in Arendelle every year. All you children have a separate event away from us boring adults. Would you like your uncle and I to send your parents a special invitation for Anna?" she offered.

Elsa nodded vigorously, but then her little face scrunched up. "I bet they won't let Anna come. And I don't like parties," she admitted. "I didn't like 'em before I hurt Anna!"

"I think they might. I have already written your mother-my sister-this morning saying you are doing _much_ better than when you first arrived," Primrose told her. While it was disturbing to her that her little niece was still frightened of herself and far too quiet for a ten-year-old, she was delighted to see Elsa carrying herself more confidently and her expressive blue eyes not so terrified and sad all the time. The little girl still cried every day because she missed Anna and her home, and Gerda had said she woke up with bad dreams at night more often than not, but overall she seemed much happier.

"You promised not t' say anything about my powers!" Elsa protested. She sounded horrified. _If Papa finds out what I've been doing, he'll be so mad. I'll be in all kinds of trouble, and he might get mad at Uncle Thomas and Aunt Primrose, too._

Primrose looked Elsa right in the face. "I wrote nothing about your magic directly, Elsa. I wrote that you were settling in well and that you were doing better than when you arrived. Then I said I was happy to have you here and that they should send Anna for a visit." She didn't add that she'd also said that Elsa was a sweet child and had been no trouble whatsoever, and implied that leaving Elsa isolated in her room since the accident was a mistake.

"Mama will show the letter to Papa, and he'll think I made you say Anna should come!"

"Nonsense. Elsa, I should dearly like to see my other little Arendelle niece, and you have to see your sister. That's no good for you, or Anna, for that matter, to be kept apart from each other like this," Primrose said firmly.

Elsa looked down at her hands and then began chewing a fingernail nervously. "I…I _hurt_ Anna. What if she doesn't want me anymore? A-and what if she thinks I'm a m-monster if she finds out what I did to her? I didn't do it on purpose, but I _hurt_ her! What if she's…scared of me?"

"She won't be like that. Even if she is uncomfortable around your magic at first, which I highly doubt, she'll still love you to death just the way you are." Primrose picked up the doll Anna had given Elsa and handed it to her. "Anna loves you very much. She's not going to treat you like a monster, of all things. She might pounce on you with hugs though. And if she _is_ mad at you for 'ignoring' her before, she'll get over it quickly."

Elsa hugged the Anna doll to her chest but didn't say anything. _I hope Aunt Primrose is right. I'd give anything to get to be around her safely again._

 **A/N: So yes, Elsa's met Flynn aka Eugene (and his friend, if you've read my other stories, you might remember him since Eugene mentioned him in passing, and you also know what will happen with his and Eugene's friendship, too). Little Elsa, however, does not like Flynn's penchant for silly nicknames! XD**

 **And Elsa's accent is making her stick out...and she doesn't quite know how act convincingly in her "disguise", lol. My headcanon is that Corona's language is German, which Elsa does understand and can speak, but I imagine she would still have a little different accent than everyone else, so. Yeah. She sticks out. :P**

 **We'll jump back and visit Anna a bit next chapter, and Elsa will ask about her long-lost cousin.:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 **Hi again after MONTHS AND MONTHS. I am so sorry for taking this long to update.:P My unfinished stories are NOT abandoned, I promise. They're just...stuck. But they seem to be coming unstuck. A bit.:P It's like I know exactly where I want them to go and it's not coming out on paper correctly. XD**

 **Olivia O'Neil- I'm glad you're enjoying it!:) Red was adopted and Flynn/Eugene never saw him again after.:P**

 **Elsa Tomago- No spoilers on WHEN Anna will get to see Elsa, but it will happen at some point BEFORE it would have in the movie timeline.:) Elsa is still having trouble understanding that the accident was not her fault. She probably would have still blamed herself even if she hadn't heard 'Elsa, what have you done?' from her father. Just, if she had been treated properly from the beginning, it would be much easier to undo her train of thought.:/**

 **warorpeace- I'm glad you like it!:) I want Prim to kind of be a mother to Elsa without "taking over" if that makes sense.:) They will NOT be paired up. That's all I promise:P**

 **IndyGirl89- I always wondered what he did for all the time we don't see him in the movie. Since we never see him as a kid:P And yes, of course Anna won't dislike Elsa for the accident. Elsa just doesn't really get that yet:)**

 **ElsaLuver- Thank you! I can too, and I thought it was funny. XD I sort of think Flynn/Eugene has a penchant for nicknames, so calling Elsa "Ice Girl" seemed in-character to me.:) I'm glad you liked that part.:) I just feel like Elsa probably does have definite likes and dislikes with her clothes (I know I did at 10 and I still do XD), and so her aunt was letting her help pick.:) Oh cool! Glad you're enjoying it:)**

 **Ember- Here's the new chapter:)**

 **all ur fave characters in one- Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it:) Here is the new chapter.:P**

 **On to the story!:)**

It was about a week later when Elsa was exploring the library that she found something that simultaneously made her happy and completely unnerved. She climbed up the ladder that was usually left in the library so she could poke around on the higher shelves and spotted something…different in the darkest, dustiest top corner. Both her aunt and uncle had said she could go in the library whenever she liked, but she still peeked around to see if there was anyone watching before trying to yank the mysterious book out. A puff of dust made her sneeze, and the book would not slide out. Elsa yelped as she nearly lost her balance on the ladder. _Now I really, really want to see what that book is. Why won't it come out?_

Elsa braced herself carefully before yanking on the book again. It seemed to move a fraction of an inch, and she pulled at it harder. "Why won't it…come…out?!" she muttered to herself, frustrated. Another yank and her feet slipped, sending her crashing to the floor.

"Elsa, what on earth?!" Thomas had been working in his study near the library and heard a muffled yelp and then a thump, as if something heavy had fallen, not just a book or something similar. _Elsa is the only one in there. I should go check on her._ Obviously Elsa herself was what had fallen. "Are you hurt? What were you doing?"

"There's a funny-looking book way up in the corner, and it wouldn't come out," Elsa explained, pointing. "And I fell off the ladder." She thought she was at least mostly okay, just shaken.

"You're sure you aren't hurt?" Thomas looked the little girl right in the face.

Elsa shrugged and scrambled to her feet. She'd scraped one palm and her ankle was a little sore, but she was fine. Honestly she was far more interested in getting that book down. "I'm fine. Could…could you maybe get the book down for me? Please?" she asked hopefully. "I wanna see what it is!"

Thomas willingly climbed up to check, but then frowned. "There's no mysterious book up here, Elsa, at least I don't see one. What does the spine of it look like?"

"Brown with geometric looking gold marks. They looked like they changed color when I touched it. I thought it was an il…illusion of some kind and I wanted to see what it was about," Elsa explained. The little girl's stomach clenched as she realized what the book was probably about if Uncle Thomas couldn't see it. She _knew_ there had been a book there; she was sure of it. "Maybe it's…magic…like me?" she whispered hesitantly.

Thomas instantly got down from the ladder and took Elsa by the wrist back over to it. _She's probably right. Why not? After all, we had that golden flower, and Elsa has ice powers. A hidden magic book would make sense._ "You show me, Elsa. I'll be right behind you; you won't fall again," he assured her.

Sure enough, the second Elsa touched the book-or what looked to be the wall of the library-Thomas could see it, exactly as Elsa had described. "Try pressing around the edges, honey. Perhaps it's sealed in place somehow," he suggested.

Elsa tried this, but the book still wouldn't come out. "The marks look like runes to me," she said curiously, but she wasn't sure what they said.

"So they do," Thomas agreed. He frowned as the little girl continued tugging on the book, clearly growing frustrated. "Maybe you could copy the rune markings on paper and use a reference book to translate it. You're smart, Elsa. I know you could do that. I don't think that book is going to come out by just pulling on it."

Elsa nodded in agreement-that sounded like a good idea to her-and let Uncle Thomas help her down the ladder. She still felt uncomfortable with her hands being touched, and she was grateful that her uncle only held her by the arms. Elsa dropped her eyes to the floor, trying to be polite. "Thank you for not t-touching my hands," she mumbled awkwardly. _Elsa, that's silly. You sound silly. Be quiet._

Thomas sighed. "Elsa, it's all right to be shy, but you needn't look at the floor like that," he said gently. "Don't be embarrassed, either. You are already so much better allowing physical contact than when you first arrived." Thomas smiled when Elsa moved closer, her hands carefully folded close against her chest. _Elsa might not be willing to hug anyone herself, but she clearly likes hugs. She's still scared of hurting others, but she wants to be close._

Elsa was quiet for a minute, her mind still overjoyed and surprised that anyone would voluntarily want to give her a hug. Hugs made her feel warm, and Uncle Thomas was like the daddy she dreamed of having. He didn't fuss at her for being weird or abnormal. Elsa wondered what he would do if she was downright naughty. Part of her wanted to do something bad so she would know, but the rest of her was too scared to try that. Uncle Thomas might punish her and lock her in her room too, or not want her anymore. _I could just ask, though. Uncle Thomas wouldn't lie to me…would he?_ "If…if I were really, really naughty, what would you do with m-me?" she whispered, her voice shaky.

"What kind of question is that?!"

A tiny, almost imperceptible shrug. "I just wanna know."

"Elsa, that depends on what this supposed naughtiness was." Thomas thought carefully, not entirely sure what to tell her. "If you just made a mistake, like dropping a plate or freezing something by accident, I wouldn't punish you at all. Accidents happen. If you, say, stole cookies from the kitchen and then proceeded to lie about it, I might say you couldn't have dessert for a few days or something."

"Not l-lock me in my room?" Elsa's shoulders hunched to her ears, and she was back to focusing on the floor again. _Please say no. Please._ "What if my powers h-hurt you?"

Thomas clenched his jaw in anger, but not at Elsa. "No," he said flatly, pulling the frightened child close again. "Your magic is not going to hurt me, and even if it did, I trust that you wouldn't do such a thing on purpose."

Elsa hid her face in her uncle's shirt, but she felt much better. "Will I ever go back home?" she asked hesitantly. _I like Corona, and I love Uncle Thomas and Aunt Primrose, but I miss Anna so much. And…I miss Arendelle itself, too._

"Yes, Elsa, you will, because you are Arendelle's crown princess and one day you will be queen," Thomas said firmly. "We will arrange a visit to Arendelle for you anytime you wish."

The little girl perked up at this, but then her shoulders slumped and she sighed. "But Papa sent me _here._ He doesn't want me _there_. And I'll disappoint Anna if I can't stay."

"We'll invite Anna to visit here," Thomas assured her. Part of him was slightly worried that without Elsa nearby, little Anna might very well treat her missing older sister differently the next time she saw her if too much time passed. He had to get the little Arendelle princesses to be able to spend time together soon, in his mind.

"I…I would like that lots and lots."

* * *

That evening at dinner, Elsa finally worked up the courage to ask Aunt Primrose about her cousin. "Can I help look for her?" she asked hopefully. "And what was she like?"

Primrose's eyes were sad as she gave her niece a small smile. "She would be just about your age, Elsa, but we didn't have her long enough to know what she was like. She had lovely golden hair and the biggest green eyes you ever saw, and we knew she had magic somehow. You know she was kidnapped. We have had soldiers and guards searching for her since the day she went missing, but…I fear it's all for naught. She could be…d-dead for all any of us know. Thomas has cut back the searches quite a bit…"

Elsa saw tears trickling down her aunt's cheeks, and without thinking, she hopped up from her seat and started to give Aunt Primrose a hug, but then abruptly jerked away before doing so. _I can't hug Aunt Primrose-I might hurt her!_ "I'm sorry, I won't ask anymore, and I'll try t' be good, I promise. Aunt Primrose, please don't cry, I…I didn't mean to make you upset," she blurted, desperately hoping that her aunt would feel better and stop crying. _I made Aunt Primrose cry, and she's been so nice to me, and-_

Elsa's thoughts were cut off when she felt a soft kiss on her forehead. Primrose was surprised that the little girl would even try to hug her on her own, but it still made her upset to know Elsa genuinely wanted to give a hug and then been too frightened to do so. _Elsa's been so skittish about being touched. She's getting better every day, but…_ "You didn't do anything wrong," she said firmly. "It just still hurts that my daughter is still missing, even after ten years. But that is not your fault, so don't apologize." Primrose caught a shadow of something she couldn't quite understand on Elsa's face. "What is it, Elsa?"

The little girl pulled her platinum braid over her left shoulder and began fiddling with it nervously, her gaze trained on the floor. She couldn't help but wonder if she was some kind of replacement child. _One that's weird and messed up. If we_ did _find my cousin, would they…get rid of me? I'm not Uncle Thomas's and Aunt Primrose's daughter. They don't have to keep me._ "Nothing," Elsa said finally. She frowned as she looked at her braid. Her own hair was so light it was nearly white, not 'lovely golden' like her missing cousin's was. And her eyes were blue, not green. "May I be excused?" she whispered after a moment.

"Of course, but-" Primrose cut herself off as she watched Elsa run out of the room as fast as her ten-year-old legs could carry her, favoring one foot slightly.

Upstairs Elsa threw herself on her bed and cried, ignoring the snow falling around her.

* * *

"Miss Elsa, that's just not true," Gerda told the worried princess awhile later after convincing Elsa she could confide in her and that she-Gerda-would say nothing to anyone else. "I do understand why you're worried-I think anyone would be-but it's just not true. Not only do I quite honestly not think anyone is going to find your cousin after this long, your aunt and uncle would never send you away just because they found their daughter. They can love two children just as well as one."

Elsa's heart clenched, and she clutched her Anna doll to her chest, tears still clouding her eyes. "Mama a-and Papa couldn't," she managed to say. Resorting to wrapping herself up in Gerda's heavy quilt again, the weight was somehow reassuring as Gerda held her despite the cold. _You can never be as good as Anna. Why would you ever be enough for anyone? You're…_ The accusatory voice in Elsa's head searched for the right word. … _broken._ Except somehow the little girl knew that wasn't the problem. She _felt_ broken. But that was her heart hurting and feeling lonely and missing Anna and not really understanding why her parents had sent her away and wanting them to love her the way they did Anna.

 _My magic doesn't make me broken. It makes me different, and troublesome, and potenti…poti…potentially dangerous, but not broken._ Elsa suddenly realized that she had mentally referred to her magic as just that, magic, and not _those powers_ or _that curse_ , and that thought made her tingly in a good way all over. "I wish you could put bandages on hearts and make them all better," she said wistfully. "'Cause mine hurts, and lots of others' hearts do too."

Gerda very much wished the same, but she did not tell little Elsa that. "Perhaps that won't work literally, but I think love can mend a heart that's hurting or broken," she said after a moment. _Elsa, please understand…don't cry any more. You have people that love you very much._

Elsa settled closer and relaxed, the chill surrounding her fading. She could sense the cold now, same as the heat, but unlike the heat, the cold actually felt…nice and just pleasant to her. She did not shiver nor did she feel 'cold' like an ordinary person would. Elsa liked feeling just comfortably warm best, though, because it reminded her of being with Anna before the accident, and for her it generally meant that someone was being nice and holding or hugging her. "I still wanna find my cousin. She might be scared or hurting," Elsa said finally. "That feels awful awful awful, too."

"Elsa, look at me," Gerda said quietly but firmly, helping the little girl to her feet and looking her right in the face. "I think it's wonderful that you want to find her, but you have to understand it most likely will not happen. If her kidnapper was smart, he or she would have taken her out of Corona. They could be anywhere now. Also…Elsa, I know you're only ten, and I don't want to say this, but she may be…dead."

"But then her body ought t' be somewhere," Elsa pointed out logically. She shuddered. _I don't want to find a little girl my age dead somewhere._ "I don't think she's dead. She can't be! I just know it. She's off hidden somewhere nobody can find her, but she's _not_ dead! I'm positive!"

* * *

ARENDELLE…

"When's Elsa coming home?" Anna asked at breakfast, the same as she had every single morning since her big sister had left. Though quite honestly she was a little bit mad at Elsa for ignoring her and saying 'Go away' for so long, she still missed the older girl dreadfully. At least she had known exactly where Elsa was and she could talk to her through that stupid door. Now Elsa was miles and miles away, and there had been no letters from her so far. Was Elsa ok? Was she scared or excited about being away from home? Anna remembered hearing quiet cries from Elsa's room the night before she left.

The Elsa she remembered rarely cried.

What could be wrong with her? It couldn't have been being away from her little sister, since she hadn't even seen her since…well, something, Anna's memory was all fuzzy. Except…maybe it _was_ that. Anna's seven-year-old brain raced, and she hopped up from the table. She would write Elsa another letter, well, note, and she was going to sneak into her parents' room and look for Elsa letters. No way had Elsa not written her. She just knew it.

"Agdar, I actually…don't think keeping those letters from Anna is a good idea," Idun said finally. "They might both be happier if they write each other."

Agdar sighed and put his face in his hands. "They'll write each other plans to come see each other. I do care about Elsa, I really do, but…but we can't have her around Anna. We can't." _And dangerous or not, I…I miss that girl. She might be different and abnormal, but she's a little sweetheart. And…I'm scared of my own daughter._

"They're little kids. They can't do anything like that without us or Thomas and Primrose finding out. This isn't like when we had Elsa isolated in her room and she or Anna might secretly be around one another if they passed notes back and forth. Elsa is literally in another country. They can write letters without risking putting Anna in danger." Idun paused before adding, "I do admit to…playing favorites with Anna, simply because she's normal, but I do love Elsa all the same. She should be happy too…just not at the expense of everyone's safety." _What a terrible thing for a parent to say…_

"Well, from what you told me about Primrose's letter, it seems like Elsa is doing better in Corona than she ever did here after the accident," Agdar said. "We made the right decision to send her away. It's better for everyone."

Idun hesitated and looked down at her lap. "Did we? Dangerous or not, she's still just a little girl. What must she think of us? She probably thinks her own parents hate her."

"Elsa doesn't think that. She's smart; she knows why she had to leave," Agdar replied, sounding very sure of himself. "If Thomas and Primrose can get her to learn to control those powers of hers, she is staying right where she is."

"She's also ten and just a little girl, like I just said. Maybe…maybe there's a way to take them away from her. Then Elsa can come home, and it wouldn't be a problem in the first place," Idun suggested.

Agdar sighed. "You know we've tried to find a way to do that for so long. I have found nothing. Not one thing that gives even the idea that it might be possible…"

"We could go back to the Valley of the Living Rock. Maybe old Grand Pabbie can help us."

"No! I will not go back there a-"

A horrified, angry little voice sliced through the air. "I found Elsa letters! How come you didn't give 'em to me?!"

 **A/N: I'm going to be honest...I'm not sure when I'll update again, because I have had writer's block. Like I KNOW where I want this story to go, EXACTLY, actually, and it's just not coming out on paper (or rather, my microsoft word docx) properly. But I will TRY to update soon.:)**


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